Rotor damage - Beechmont Ford states this is normal?

[Tucker80]

Hi All,

Looking to get your opinions on whether you think this is an issue and if so what's caused it.

Here's the story so far. I bought the car approximately 4 weeks ago from Beechmont Ford in Ohio with roughly 60 miles on it. At pick up I noticed rust on the rotors but didn't think much about it. I figured it was just the typical flash rust you get after a rain or wash. Unfortunately this is not the case. Rust remains and brakes are loud. Almost 400 miles later the rust looks the exact same. At this point I'm getting concerned so I make a service appointment to check it out.

Service was scheduled at 8:30am and for a routine brake check I figured I get an update relatively quickly. When this didn't happen I called back at 3pm and was informed no one had looked at, but a tech would be shortly and it probably just needed to have "some brake cleaner sprayed on it".

At this point I've officially lost my cool and asked for the manager. He essentially informs me that it'll be done shortly. 45 mins later I get a call that the tech has determined my transmission is OK (secondary issue). When asked about the brakes he has no idea. Call back again and was told car is ready and rotors are good to go. No problems found and to continue driving for another 3k miles because Ford corporate says they meet the standards. This incredibly reassuring... I'm also informed that they completed at 99 point inspection and my car is perfect. Surprisingly this safety inspection doesn't include the basics like checking air pressure...

So what are your thoughts about the rotors I have attached. 400 miles completely dry and look the same even after braking. Is the manager right that this will go away or is there another issue here?

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[Nightmonkey]

Not the best pictures, but looks to me like hotspots.

From the webpage of a well known performance brake dealer in Germany:

Symptom: Blue-black spots (so-called hotspots) appear on the braking surfaces.

Cause: These blue-black spots occur due to overloading, especially during the break-in phase. They also indicate that the brake was overloaded during the break-in phase by force and shock braking. Another reason for the spots on the brake disc may be the use of incorrect pads (friction coefficient, composition) or pads of inferior quality, which are not suitable for a high continuous load.

Effects: Pulsating brake pedal, hammering in the steering wheel, reduced braking efficiency. Thermal overload causes the brake disc to partially anneal. The resulting microstructural changes worsen the mechanical properties of the cast material. Under further load, the brake disc may crack.

Solution: Check brake pads for suitability, replace brake disc.

 

[Tucker80]

Not the best pictures, but looks to me like hotspots.

From the webpage of a well known performance brake dealer in Germany:

That's exactly what I thought. Appreciate your review

 

[daSNAK3]

Not the best photos but those look terrible.

 

[Paul McWhiskey]

Take it to another dealer.

 

[Tucker80]

Not the best photos but those look terrible.

Yeah, I've never seen anything like it, but wanted to make sure I'm not the idiot here.

 

[Arknsawchuck]

Those do not look normal to me. And if the ford dealership said they are normal and to keep driving then you can bet your last dollar they are jacked up. Looks like the rotors weren’t manufactured correctly.

 

[Tucker80]

Those do not look normal to me. And if the ford dealership said they are normal and to keep driving then you can bet your last dollar they are jacked up. Looks like the rotors weren’t manufactured correctly.

I was rather surprised that Beechmont Ford mentioned that this was perfect in Ford's eyes.

 

[Yorkshire_OH]

How do the brakes feel? do they work ok? Is it worth comparing to another Mustang to see if they are different. It's odd that this isn't cleaning up with use it almost looks like the surface is not flat and the pads are not making contact evenly (or at all!). Sometimes you might think the brakes are working because you have no frame of reference ( I'm not saying you don't know but I have no idea if the brakes on my mustang are good or bad, they feel good but without testing another car with the same setup I can never be sure)

 

[kz]

That's the key question - do they work ? Looks are secondary and no dealer will bother with the looks.

OP - btw - best out of all the terrible service departments in this area is Lebanon IMO. Might be far for you depends on where you are.

 

[Tucker80]

How do the brakes feel? do they work ok? Is it worth comparing to another Mustang to see if they are different. It's odd that this isn't cleaning up with use it almost looks like the surface is not flat and the pads are not making contact evenly (or at all!). Sometimes you might think the brakes are working because you have no frame of reference ( I'm not saying you don't know but I have no idea if the brakes on my mustang are good or bad, they feel good but without testing another car with the same setup I can never be sure)

Cold they feel terrible. Very inconsistent pressure. Once they are hot they feel ok. I traded my 21 GT for this one so I'm familiar with the brake feel and these are not right.

 

[Tucker80]

That's the key question - do they work ? Looks are secondary and no dealer will bother with the looks.

OP - btw - best out of all the terrible service departments in this area is Lebanon IMO. Might be far for you depends on where you are.

Yeah, that's where I typically go. They are amazing, but I figured I'd give the selling dealer a chance 1st. Won't make that mistake again.

 

[Yorkshire_OH]

Cold they feel terrible. Very inconsistent pressure. Once they are hot they feel ok. I traded my 21 GT for this one so I'm familiar with the brake feel and these are not right.

That's a good reference then, I'd be looking at binning the pads at least.

 

[njweatherman]

Aaron,
I'm assuming those are the rear rotors?
I've owned a 2020 and now I have a 2023 and both my rear rotors had vertical and horizontal lines from the brake pads. As for rust, the rust always disappeared after a 10 to 20 minute drive. I went to multiple dealers and they said the rotors were normal and there were no brake issues.
If a tech takes it for a ride and visually inspects them and determines it is strictly cosmetic, FORD will not change them.
Do you feel any pulsation or shudder in the steering wheel or brake pedal when you apply the brakes? If you do, then bring it to another dealership and have them test drive it. You may have to leave it there for day so they can drive it on the first start-up of the day.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Your pics - the cam somehow got focused on the rim instead of the background (brake rotor). No biggie though, even from the images - that is NOT normal, not after there is accrued miles on the car.

The common surface rusting should have totally disappeared within the first 100 yards of driving - and even if it was heavy accumulation, at the minimum in less than 1 mile of use.

That is definitely not normal and appears that either the pads or the brake line pressure isn't up to spec. If mine pressure isn't correct, it is not allowing the calipers to fully seat or grab the rotated evenly. The other issue could be warped rotors due to manufacturing defect.

You have options:
- Go to another local Dealer and exclaim your issue and point out to them this isn't just from the drive from your house to their shop (which again, the surface should have been cleaned by then anyway under normal operation).

If they can't or refuse to help, then:
- If you received a survey via email from the Dealership to give them positive feedback and "thumbs up" to chalk up on their Social Media BS "likes" about your experience, fill EVERYTHING out negatively and the lowest scores possible... This WILL get back to Ford Corp and the Dealership will have to not only answer to Ford Corp, but they will have to reach back out to you to try to fix the issue and make you happy. It does work, I know that for a fact for when I was having problems with my prior 2016 S550...

- Call the Ford 800# and ask for a Regional Rep to open up a Case #. I have a thread on here that has all the Ford 800# info, BUT I recommend going into your Owner's Manual and getting the most current 800# in the event it has changed. By doing this you're vehicle moves up the chain to a priority level and it's bringing the concern forefront to Ford and the Dealership. The Service Center MUST follow up with the Regional Rep and provide status updates to ensure they are fixing the problem properly and making you satisfied. Once you are satisfied the Case gets closed out.

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